Stooges’ Raw Power Gets 2CD Reissue

Slated for April 27 release on Columbia/Legacy. No word yet on that limited edition "peanut butter jar" packaging...

By Fred Mills

"There is only one Raw Power."

Or so a new promo blurb touting the Stooges' incendiary 1973 classic goes. Actually, as most fans know, there are actually TWO Raw Powers: the David Bowie-mixed version originally released on LP, and the 1997 CD reissue that was remixed by Iggy Pop, Danny Kadar and Bruce Dickinson. The latter prompted a moderate degree of head-scratching among fans, for while the Bowie mix always had a weird combination of murk and tinnyness to it, in general most consumers prefer to listen to a record the way it sounded first time around (though a good clean digital remastering is expected).

But by then the arc of the album's mix was already tangled enough, as the Raw Power Wikipedia entry explains: "[In 1972] Pop produced and mixed the album by himself. Unfortunately, Pop's botched first attempt mixed most of the instruments into one stereo channel and the vocals into the other. MainMan [Pop's management company] demanded that the album be remixed, but Pop suddenly refused. When MainMan informed Pop that if the album were not remixed by Bowie, the album would not be released. Pop agreed, but insisted that his own mix for "Search And Destroy" be retained. Due to budgetary constraints, Bowie remixed the other seven songs in a single day in an inexpensive Los Angeles studio."

Anyway, anybody who bought the '97 reissue undoubtedly also had the '73 LP in some format, so it wasn't as if history was being rewritten.

Now, though, Columbia/Legacy is about to hop in the Wayback Machine with a deluxe 2-CD reissue of the album, which will restore the LP's Bowie mix. It's due April 27. Here are the details:

Unleashed on an unsupecting public in 1973, Raw Power was a primal scream in the face of the then-prevalent sounds of soft rock and glam.  Now, with the Stooges officially set for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, and with Raw Power-era guitarist James Williamson back in the fold for live dates, the time is right for Raw Power to roar again. 

 This 2CD Legacy Edition will feature the original '73 album mix on disc 1, newly remastered by Sony engineer Mark Wilder for ultimate fidelity.  The second disc will feature a previously unreleased 1973 live show in Atlanta - never even available on the bootleg market - recently unearthed in Iggy's private tape stash. 

Legacy adds that the new edition will also be bolstered by some choice bonus tracks to be announced soon. Will 2010 be The Year of the Stooges, what with the the Rock Hall induction, a full tour, and this timely reissue? Market Penetration, baby!